2015 Graham's The Stone Terraces

Graham’s was founded in Oporto, Portugal, in 1820 when the Scottish brothers William and John Graham formed W&J Graham & Co. in order to produce Port. The family expanded its holdings in the upper Douro Valley of Portugal throughout the 19th century. In 1970 the company was sold to the Symington family, who are also descended from Scottish businessmen and Port producers who have been shipping Port since the 17th century. Graham’s Ports typically win numerous awards. From 1993 to 2008 Graham’s Ports won 27 Gold Medals at the International Wine Challenge, a prestigious blind tasting held annually in London. The house makes a full complement of Ports, from Vintage to Aged Tawny, and Malvedos Vintage.

Douro is Portugal’s most prestigious appellation, thanks to the fact that the country’s famous Port wines have always come from the Douro. Douro, the appellation, is named for the Douro River which runs through northern Portugal. The region is mountainous and rocky, with very poor soil and harsh weather conditions because of proximity to the Atlantic. Nevertheless, vineyards have always existed there on terraced parcels of land surrounded by walls to protect the vines from wind. Most of the famous Port makers have quintas, or estates, in this region. In recent decades the Douro has developed a reputation for table wines as well as Ports, and today there are two sub-appellations within the Douro, one for table wines and one for Port. Numerous grapes are allowed within the Douro, but the main red grapes grown are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa and Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo.) The main white grapes are Esgana Cao, Folgosado and Verdelho. Besides the historic connection to Port wines – which were highly coveted in England and other parts of Europe as early as the 17th century – the region is also home to Portugal’s best table wines, including Barca Velha.